Crazy
by Cherry8914
Summary: Being married is pretty much unheard of when you're a hunter.  But the boys meet a couple who make them see things differently.


A/N: The Supernatural characters and such belong to Kripke and the CW. I just like playing with them. Arnie and Janet are mine though…they're my grandparents who would die if they knew I turned them into people who knew about the supernatural. Grandma more so because she's super religious. But I love them a lot and they just fitted perfectly for the story.

**Crazy**

Arnold, or Arnie as he told them to call him, was a hunter from Illinois. He had called Bobby about a small group of vampires in his area. A small group, but too big for one hunter as old as Arnie to take care of. Arnie was nearing seventy but the boys didn't see it. Sure he was a little slower than they were, a little greyer than they were, but he was still quick on his feet and swore like a sailor. Bobby had asked Dean and Sam to stop by and help the man out, having nothing new lined up they had agreed to help.

He met them on an old abandoned dirt road that most people forgot about, not wanting to get their fancy new cars dirty. After a few quick introductions as the sun was rising Arnie led the way to the old school house where the group of vampires were hiding out. Silently the hunters crept into the school house, eyeing the area with hawk like eyes, watching for any sign of movement. Laid out among the floor were four vampires, three males and one female with no sign of any others just like Arnie had told them.

They snuck out as quietly as they had entered, heading back to their cars to load up with more fighting power and discuss the plan as Sam suggested they do. The plan was like usual, go in with guns blazing…or machetes rather along with a cross bow with arrows dipped in dead man's blood. They left a couple cans of gas sitting by the outside edge of the school house as they made their way back inside.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauties!" Dean called out, a smirk growing on his lips as he raised his machete.

"Does he always do that?" Arnie wondered loudly over the snarling as the vampires woke and he quickly released an arrow, hitting one in the side as it dove towards Dean.

Snorting, Sam nodded, calling back over his shoulder, "All the time."

Rushing forward Sam took on one of the males while Dean kicked another off of him.

The fight seemed to last longer than it did. Just as Dean was slicing through the neck of one, another rushed at him, only to be shot straight through the chest with an arrow by Arnie.

"That's right fucker, dead man's blood." Arnie grinned, waving the cross bow as the thing clutched at his chest.

The clean up was easy enough, Sam and Arnie drenched the place with gas, drowning the bodies with it and Dean lit a few matches, tossing them around.

The three of them stood there together watching the school house begin to blaze with flames, smoke already rising.

"Ain't nobody going to notice this until it's too late to be saved and the bodies long gone." Arnie promised as they headed back to their cars. "Why don't you boys follow me on back to the house? I'm sure Janet will have lunch waiting on us."

The brothers glanced at each other for a moment before Dean asked, "Who?"

"My wife." Arnie answered, chuckling at the expression on their faces. "Just follow me boys, a hot meal and some cold drinks."

He climbed into his car before they could answer. Being curious and hungry they quickly hurried into the Impala and followed, each asking questions to answer the other's question. How was it possible for a hunter to be married? Sure they had met that couple a few years back when they dealt with the deadly sins, but they both remembered how that had ended. Obviously she wasn't a hunter or Arnie wouldn't have called Bobby for some back up. How did a hunter have a normal wife and make it work?

Dean lived with the fear every day that something was going to find Lisa and Ben, find them and kill them to use it against him, knowing it would kill him. He had already tried leaving a few times before, believing it would keep them safe from evil, but somehow he had always managed to find his way back to them. And now he had a child of his own on the way, making it impossible to leave even if he wanted to. How did Arnie manage to keep his sanity?

They followed the man to the other side of town, a few miles out in the country. Soon they pulled up to a small grey home with a partial wraparound porch where a yellow lab stood barking, announcing their arrival. They followed him inside after Dean poked a little fun at Sam as the man knelt down and spoke to the dog as he rubbed his hand over its head.

"Jannie Louise!" Arnie called out before whistling loudly, shutting the door behind them.

"In here!" Came an answering voice from not far away.

"I've brought Dean and Sam Winchester with me, mom." He said, leading them up a small step and past a room into the kitchen.

There at the stove stood a petite woman with graying red hair, an apron covering her clothes. She was the kind of woman that must have been beautiful in her younger years because she was still easy on the eyes. Spotting them she gave them a warm welcoming smile.

"Ah, the hunters Bobby sent." Janet said, wiping her hands and offering it to them.

"Yes ma'am. I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean." Sam introduced them both as they took turns shaking her hand.

"Wonderful to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to help Arnie out, I just hate it when he goes out there alone."

Arnie rolled his eyes as he poked around the pots on the stove, "Same thing I've heard for years now."

Leaning against the counter Dean couldn't help but ask, "How long have you two been married?"

He ignored a grinning Sam next to him.

A smile came over Arnie's face as he kissed Janet's cheek, "Over fifty years now."

"Mm, fifty wonderful, frightening years." Janet teased her husband, patting his arm before gently pushing him out of her way so she could continue cooking.

Dean's eyes widened, "Fifty years?" He repeated in disbelief.

"Hard to believe isn't it? Pretty uncommon in our line of work." Arnie agreed, stepping out of his wife's way. "We met in high school, I was a senior when she was a sophomore. Knew right away I wanted her when I heard her signing in the choir room one afternoon. I didn't know a thing about the supernatural world at that point. Was as carefree as you could imagine. It wasn't until we had been married a year that I found out. My parents were attacked on a camping trip, werewolf. Janet and I found them the next morning. I'm sure I don't have to tell you the sight it was."

Janet shook her head, "Arnold, please. I'm trying to make a decent lunch here."

"Sorry mom." He said sincerely. "Anyways, a man was snooping around, long story short, he turned out to be a hunter. He'd been tracking the thing for a couple of months. I was young and crazy, I wanted to know everything. Wanted to help capture the thing that had killed my parents."

"And I was crazy," Janet interrupted, "I allowed him to follow that man all over for a month before they caught the thing."

"From then on out I decided this was what I wanted to do. I'd always wanted to help people, what better way? It's not like everyone knows about what's out there and how to protect themselves." He told them with a heavy sigh, "It's a tough gig we've got boys. But it's worth it. May not seem like it most days, but it is. Trust me. Every life we save means something to someone out there."

Knowing that Dean wanted to ask, but probably wasn't entirely sure how or wasn't sure it was his place, Sam spoke up, "Isn't hard? For the two of you?"

The couple looked at each other, staring into each other's eyes before they nodded together.

"It is. I couldn't tell you the number of fights we had. Or the times we've moved. Or how often I fear for her life. But at the end of the day, having her to come home to, having her to lay next to and forget everything? It's worth it. Crazy. But worth it." Arnie spoke for them.

It amazed Dean. Over fifty years the couple had been together, fifty years and by the looks of it, still going strong. How did they manage it?

He spoke his curiosity. "How do you do it?"

Laughing Arnie motioned for them to take a seat at the table, "You boys got someone?"

"Yes sir." Sam answered, taking the far side of the table, his thoughts turning to Josh.

It took Dean a moment but he nodded, looking down at his hands as he spoke, "Yes sir."

"How long?" Janet wondered, turning the burner off.

"A few months." Sam answered first again, "Pretty new to us."

"On and off about two years." Dean guessed, unable to stop the small smile growing on his lips as he thought of Lisa.

"Ah, still pretty fresh then for the both of you. Let me guess, you keep running away." Arnie guessed, his eyes on Dean. "She a hunter?"

Dean opened his mouth, wanting to deny it but he couldn't. Instead he shrugged, looking up at the man. "No sir, she isn't."

"Yeah, I tried that. But then I decided, that if I wasn't around, who was going to protect her? At least with me around, I know she's safe because I would die for my wife. I wouldn't change the last fifty years for all the money in the world. Even with all the ups and downs. She's the one I want to come home to. She's what keeps me going during a hunt."

"But how do you manage it?" Dean pressed, unable to help himself once again.

"It's simple. Be her best friend and she'll be yours. Everyone needs someone that they can tell anything to. Every secret, every story, every fear and every dream. Tell her the truth. Don't hold back anything. She'll let you know if she doesn't want to know. But it's easy to just tell her, because I guarantee she's wondering about it. And if you don't tell her, who will? Don't matter what you're doing, or how you're afraid she'll react, she'll react a whole lot better if you're up front with her."

"Over use I love you." Janet spoke next, placing plates down before each of them. "It never gets too old. And with your job? It's better to hear it every moment of the day because you never know when it'll be your last. It isn't a fault to love someone. It's a privilege. You were lucky enough to find someone who loves you despite the job you have, despite learning what's out there…she does know, doesn't she?"

He nodded, "Yeah, she's known for a while. She's got a kid, a son. He's twelve now, but when he was eight he was taken by Changelings. She's known since then."

"Then yes, you're one of the lucky ones. It takes a strong woman to handle this Dean. A very strong woman. It isn't easy watching your men leave, knowing you might never come back. It's hard, but we do it because we can't dream of being with anyone else. Even if it meant having a normal life."

"She is strong, the strongest woman I've ever known." Dean agreed.

"You obey those three simple things? And you'll never go too wrong." Arnie told him, dipping food from the pots Janet sat on the table. "Goes for you too Sam."

"Be her best friend. Tell the truth. Overuse I love you." Sam said, seeing if he had them right with a grin as he dipped up some food for himself.

"You've got it." Arnie nodded, pushing himself up to grab them something to drink. "It's hard, but it's worth it. They're what keep us sane. The things we've seen? The things we've done? It's a surprise more hunters don't go insane after a while."

Dean was quiet as Sam spoke with the couple, changing the subject, his mind too lost in thought about Ben, Lisa and their unborn child. It was true, he couldn't imagine himself with anyone one else. Lisa and Ben, they put up with a lot from him. With him gone more than he was around, with the fear of something finally killing him…again…and him staying dead. He didn't talk to them enough, he didn't tell Lisa he loved her like he should. Suddenly the urge hit him to call her. Quietly he got to his feet, excusing himself and hurried out to the porch, pulling his phone out as he went.

She picked up on the third ring, "Hey babe."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "Hey baby. I uh…just called to say that, I love you Lis. I don't tell you enough. But I do."

"I know you do. What brought this on?" She wondered and he could hear her messing around with dishes in the background.

"Just wanted to let you know. It's crazy, but I just needed to tell you."

"Everything alright?" She asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He ran a hand over his face and cleared his throat. "So, how are you? How's our little cookie monster?"

She laughed at the nickname she had came up with after being able to keep nothing but cookies down because of her morning sickness. Or as she liked to call it, all day sickness from Hell.

"She's fine. Or he I guess. I'm just making some cookies now actually. I'm dying for some good old fashion chocolate chip cookies. I went to the doctor yesterday, I tried calling you but you didn't answer. He said everything is going as it should. The baby's fine and healthy. I had a chance to listen to the heart beat…but I didn't. I kind of wanted you there for that."

"Damn it, I'm sorry Lis. I will be next time, I swear."

"It's fine babe, you don't exactly have a nine to five job." She said, the same thing she said far too often for his liking.

"Listen…any chance you feel like putting up with me for a few days?" They didn't have anything lined up after this hunt, he needed to go home.

He could hear the excitement in her voice, "When will you be here? I'll see if I can pencil you into my busy schedule."

He laughed, "That's how it's going to be huh? I'm finishing up here, but say late tonight?"

"Mmm, I don't know. I guess I can squeeze you in." She laughed with him before saying, "Just get your ass here Dean. We miss you."

"Miss you too baby. I'll be there soon. I love you."

"Love you too." She replied before they hung up.

It might be crazy, but Dean wouldn't give it up for anything. They would make it work, it turns out it isn't as impossible as it seemed.


End file.
